Microsoft’s Worst Miss Ever – Netscape?

Recently, it was revealed that in late 1994 Microsoft put an effort by offering a deal to buy Netscape the browser maker which Netscape eventually turned down as the offered price was too low.

In the current scenario, this can be viewed as one big miss in the history as Microsoft later on created their own browser and made it a part of the Windows OS platform. This almost led to initiation of an antitrust case forcing the two companies to split which would have cost billions of dollars.

Brendan Eich, who was working in Netscape during that time, is currently working with Mozilla, told ComputerWorld that Netscape's JavaScript is an answer to VBScript that Microsoft developed. It was reported by San Fransisco Chronicle that "Eich knew this because Microsoft had discussed it with Netscape while making a bid for the company in "late 1994."

This timing is similar to the time which is known for the history of Microsoft and its browser war.

Microsoft's first effort was to buy the browser named BookLink but, AOL defeated their intentions in October. Then in 1995 Microsoft licenced Mosaic technology to use Spyglass as basis of the Internet Explorer.